This morning I saw someone bid “Happy Good Friday” to someone else on Twitter.  The comment bothered me, and I couldn’t help but think that the well-wisher clearly did not know the reason Good Friday is a holiday.

“Good” in this case does not mean pleasant.  The day is called “Good Friday” because it is a pious, holy day.  It is “good” in the sense that the Bible is called the “good book…” not because it’s enjoyable, but because it is set apart from everything else.

Regardless of your religious persuasion, if you are observing Good Friday in any way, you ought to know why.  Good Friday commemorates death.  Specifically, the death of Jesus Christ.  And it wasn’t just any run-of-the-mill natural death either.  The man was imprisoned, tortured, ridiculed, and murdered in a way that would spark national anger today.

For the sake of being thorough, here. This will give you a general idea of what we are “celebrating” today.

And if you want to watch it, here. 

And if you want to read what happened, here.

We do celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from death on Sunday.  Not today.  Today we mourn.

So please don’t wish anyone a “Happy Good Friday” unless you are willing to bring party hats to a funeral, or throw me a surprise party on the anniversary of my mother’s death.